As rumours on COVID-19 continue to do the rounds on social media, the consumption of poultry products is coming to a gradual halt. Many people are choosing not to consume chicken even after numerous advisories issued by the authorities that spread of coronavirus does not correlate with food habits.
Kurnool has hundreds of ‘chicken pakodi’ stalls spread across the city. The favourite snack of working-class people has taken a hit due to the fears around consuming chicken. Once thriving small businesses are now sporting an abandoned look as the panic around the spread of the virus is setting in.
"Earlier, I used to sell about 40 kg chicken a day. But in the past few weeks, it has come down to less than 5 kg," laments K. Madhu, a chicken pakodi stall owner. "We generally hike the prices in summer due to shortage of chicken. However, we are now selling at a reduced price to make ends meet," he says.
Madhu is among hundreds of other stall owners who have become concerned about their livelihood. "I have been doing this for a long time now. We are hoping that good times will return soon and we will be back in profits," remarks another such hawker.
Equally concerned are poultry farmers. K.B. Narasimha, who has been in this business for over 10 years now, says that March, April and May are generally downtimes for the farmers as people move away from consuming chicken due to various festivals and summer. The added COVID-19 fear has pushed the sales further down. "A kg chicken is fetching the farmer just about ₹30," he bemoans. "While the poultry farmers tied up with big businesses won’t be affected, smaller farmers are suffering massive losses," he says.
Bid to allay fears
Doctors, medical and health officials and even the district authorities have put out advisories that consuming poultry products is safe. Recently, Anantapur Collector G. Chandrudu held a press conference and ate chicken to allay fears among people on consumption of poultry products. "COVID-19 spreads through diseased persons only, and has nothing to do with regular food habits," clarifies the principal of medical college Dr. P. Chandrasekhar, talking to The Hindu.
Some poultry farmers and retailers in the country have also taken up awareness campaigns on coronavirus in a bid to save their businesses.
